Buckingham Nicks-Part II of Fritz Series

Judgement Day

***A/N graphic violence ahead***

The superior Court house is an imposing building with dark gothic coulombs, and cold concrete steps that seem to reach up for miles. It's a place of judgment of abject distress and hellish intrigue. It's also home to some of the most painfully ass dulling wooden pews in America as I can currently attest. I really want to stand up and stretch but courtroom propriety would have it otherwise. The next defendant is brought before the judge, a young kid. Looks like a gang member, he curses every other word and gets denied bail, his mother weeping in the front row.

"Docket number 2231 People Vs. Hunter Ryan Faust" this is the one I've been waiting for since I first sat down four hours ago. He looks different in shackles, more like the animal he really is and less like the charming dickhead who pushed himself into mine and Stevie's lives months ago. My eyes bore into his thin frame as he shuffles in front of the judge meekly. His lawyer goes on and on about how he's a good boy swept up in Raven's charisma. He compares the group to the Manson Family, and practically paints Ryan as a captive himself. What a bunch of Bull.

If it wasn't my express intent to get him out of jail I'd be screaming in the front row for the judge to lock him up and throw away the key. As it is that doesn't really serve my purpose. After deliberating with the states attorney for a few moments the judge looks down at Ryan over his reading glasses he berates him for his behavior and reads him the riot act about how he should have good sense when and where to pick his friends. But he grants bail anyway. Fifty-thousand dollars worth.

Hunter hangs his head and I get the distinct impression that he doesn't have fifty dollars. Good, he'll be all the more grateful for an anonymous donor. I leave the courtroom and head to a bail bondsmen down town. He doesn't ask questions and I hand him an extra grand to forget my face when I leave. Just like that Hunter Ryan Faust is a free man. His first steps onto the streets of L.A. observed by me from behind the wheel of mom's Lincoln. He's seen my Mustang too often, he'd get suspicious if it was following him.

I was able to get away by telling Stevie I had some business to attend to with Warner, boring contract stuff. Things she's not interested in, beyond what I can sum up for her late at night in bed. She trusts me to handle the business end of our partnership and I'm taking advantage of that trust...I feel a little guilty. But I'm doing this for her, for her and Sara. This creep isn't going to breath the same air as my family any longer than a week starting from today.

I follow him to a flop house in downtown L.A. he picks up a hooker and scores, taking her up to his room. How cliché, the hostel rents rooms by the week so he'll be here for at least that long. Good. My hands grip the wheel my knuckles white with rage and anticipation, I've gotten around my security guard problem. I'll take him one day and leave him tied up in the barn, I'll kill him the day after that. And toss his corpse the day after that.

Three days at the most, no one will miss him.

Schlicz got away with a slap on the wrist, so did Don. Javi was killed before he met with justice, and Sandra was brutally murdered. In one way or another they've all gotten away with hurting my family. None of them having to face even one tenth of the repercussions they should have. I'm not letting him get away with what he did to Stevie and Sara. This time I'm going to make sure the guilty party gets punished.

Hate pumps through my veins as I watch him and his "date" snort a line off a table then get down to business. I'm not interested in a peep show so I drive off, heading to the grocery store to get milk, eggs, oatmeal, and bananas for the house. I grab a six pack and a copy of a true crime periodical I've been reading recently too. I also get a dozen fresh long stemmed red roses for Stevie, her birthday is next week and we plan to stay in. She's not been feeling well and just like with Sara the doctor puts her on bed rest.